Summer camp on a budget: During the recession, many deals

Summer camp can be more affordable than you think during the downturn.For the Star-Ledger's guide to summer camps, read this.

If you're used to sending your kids to summer camp, the prospect of going without it looks grim.

But thanks to the recession, you may be facing three long months of idle children, intent
on avoiding fresh air and character-building. Or you may find that there are more ways than ever to save money.

This year, parents can take advantage of discounts, tax breaks, financial aid, shorter sessions and other deals to bring down the cost of sending their kids to camp.

“There are a lot of things that camps didn’t allow (before) the downturn, but they’re doing them now because they had to adapt,” says Mary Ellen Folsom, executive director of the New Jersey chapter of the American Camp Association.

Most camps that belong to the state ACA, which counts 103 accredited camps in
New Jersey, plan to keep tuition flat, just as they did last year, she says.

And although you can’t haggle with them on price, many camps are more willing to accept half-day enrollment or partial-week tuition instead of requiring payment for longer stays, as they have in the past.

“People are looking for three days a week, four days a week. I don’t advertise it, but if it’s going to work better for your schedule, then that’s okay,” says Andy Pritikin, head of Liberty Lake Day Camp in Columbus, Burlington County.

Pritikin also offers a number of discounts, ranging from 5 percent to 10 percent.

“I have military discounts, teacher discounts, police discounts, firefighter discounts. If you don’t use extended hours, you can get 10 percent off,” he says.

Sibling discounts also can result in significant savings, something Folsom has seen firsthand: “My own son and daughter went to different camps, but this year, they’re going to the same camp because we get a 15 percent sibling discount.”

Early-bird enrollment, in which tuition is paid a few months before camp begins, is another cost-cutter.

At Camp Discovery in Madison and Teaneck, early registration saves $40 per two-week session. If tuition is paid in full before April 30, it costs $640 compared with $680 for later enrollment.

Skipping a few frills can save dollars, too. Some camps that provide bus transportation are willing to lower their fees if parents drive, Folsom says.

Even if you don’t save much on discounts, a tax break can usually ease the burden. In most cases, when parents use camp as child care for children under 13, they can deduct it from their taxable income.

If your job has a flexible-spending account for dependent care, you can get reimbursements, Folsom says.

Financial aid also is a possibility for parents who are out of work or otherwise cash-strapped. “Not-for-profit camps get a lot of money earmarked from donors that they can use for scholarships,” Folsom says.

The Metropolitan YMCA of the Oranges, which has camps in Essex and Sussex counties, gave out a record amount of financial assistance last year, says Rick Gorab, CEO of the organization.

In 2009, the Metropolitan YMCA dispensed more than $1 million in financial aid, compared with $709,000 the previous year.

Successful applicants were required to fill out a financial assistance form and complete a statement of need “expressing any unusual circumstances that have occurred,” Gorab says.

A layoff would qualify as an unusual circumstance, he says.

“What we have seen is a lot of former two-income homes that are now one-income homes,” Gorab says. “Last year, the need was high. This year, we expect the same.”